


True Grit, Girlie

by snewvilliurs



Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-09
Updated: 2013-02-09
Packaged: 2017-11-28 18:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/677672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snewvilliurs/pseuds/snewvilliurs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Western!AU - NORA, a paramilitary group living independently in the midst of a territorial war, are being watched closely by one side, the Cavalry.  When its leader hires a mercenary, their peaceful life gets turned around to something much more chaotic.  Especially for Lebreau.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [meguhime](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=meguhime), [sladez](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=sladez).



> Inspired by Community episodes ["A Fistful of Paintballs"](http://www.hulu.com/watch/237574#i0,p20,s2,d0) and ["For a Few Paintballs More"](http://www.hulu.com/watch/239949#i0,p20,s2,d0) and Josh Holloway's cameo as the Black Rider. Some scenes have been derived directly from the episodes; full credit goes to the show's authors.

Lebreau squinted as she looked up at the sky, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun—it was scorching hot that day, and she dreaded getting back onto her horse. The leather of the saddle stuck to what little skin was exposed from the rip in her tights that started at the hem of her shorts, and she could feel the back of her neck burning a bit more with every passing second. That black hat Maqui had gotten her a few days ago before she left was a godsend, and she was especially glad that they hadn’t given Yuj the time to alter it to something more...fashionable.

It was enough that he’d made her wear that stupid velvet vest over her shirt, single-handedly raising her body temperature by several degrees.

She exhaled deeply, puffing out her cheeks as she patted the gun resting against her thigh one last time. The holster was a wide belt slung from her waist to her hip, and strapped to her leg for stability when she rode—another element courtesy of Yuj, but this one she actually enjoyed. It was practical, and didn’t make her feel like he considered her a doll to dress up as she saw fit. She was a better shot than him and Maqui combined, second only to Gadot; female or not, she could kick all their asses, and that was what should matter. The thought made her even more on edge than her initial annoyance over the warmth, and she mounted her horse quickly, riding off without a second thought.

Those Cavalry guys weren’t going to find themselves.

* * *

There had been a man. They called him the Black Kite; Lebreau wasn’t sure why, but he must have reminded someone, somewhere, of a predator. And he had been quite the hunter. He’d staked their camp out quietly, for days, and when he’d attacked, they were caught off guard. Enough for him to swipe Serah, and just barely hit Lebreau.

At least she just barely hit him, too—and she’d seen his face, a handsome one at that. Not that she said anything about it: Snow was already bothered enough by it that she didn’t need to make it worse (which Yuj didn’t care much for, however). After he’d left with Serah, Lebreau went off to gather information, charming enough, especially on her own, to get what she wanted, all that without risking her safety.

The men at the saloon had told her that the Black Kite had been a drifter for a long time, and now, a mercenary, sometimes professional assassin, currently working under the jurisdiction of Cid Raines, leader of an organization called the Cavalry. Who they were, and what they wanted from Serah was still unclear, but all she needed to know was that he had gone to the north, and she would be right on his tail. There was no time to go back to her team and tell them of what she knew; she had to forge on by herself, for now. She had enough ammo to last her a while in a pinch, and she was stubborn enough to catch his smug ass and teach him a lesson or two about making enemies.

* * *

It was night when she reached what seemed like a temporary base. She knew she was on the right track when she stepped off her horse a few feet away to be quieter, and stepped right on Serah’s handkerchief—definitely hers, because she had embroidered pink hearts onto it when trying to teach Lebreau how to sew with Yuj (a disastrous attempt, really).

She sighed as she picked it up, shoving it inside her vest at the side of her chest—as far away from her heart as it could be. Though the light of the moon was faint, she could make out the print of hooves on the ground, and followed the trail leading her inside an abandoned stable. She could hear the sound of voices in the next building, but this one seemed safe to check for now, and she opened the door gingerly before slipping in.

No sign of life inside. Not a lamp lit, not the sound of anyone’s breathing but hers, no response when she dared calling Serah’s name, her voice barely above a whisper. Though she never strayed too far from the door, she made her way further inside, her fingers searching for a lamp on the walls. If she could see what was in there, maybe it would give her a clue: it was the building Serah’s handkerchief had been dropped the closest to, and the freshest prints led directly to it.

Her heart almost stopped at the sound of heavy-booted footsteps behind her, followed by the crack of a match. Before the room was even fully lit by the lamp on the wall, she had her gun out of its holster, and a man breathing down her neck.

“I’ll take that,” he said softly, almost as if he were speaking to a child, as his hand slipped over hers and took the gun away. She was almost absolutely certain that he was the Black Kite.

“Who are you?”

A silly question, maybe—silly, mostly, because it gave him the opportunity to be so cheesy. “I’m the bad guy.”

Definitely him. She frowned as she turned, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, and looked up at him with a firm expression. She was going to stand her ground, and especially not let him play this little game of his.

“Don’t try to fluster me. Won’t work just because I’m a woman.”

A smirk played on his lips, his gaze briefly travelling down to her chest before turning back to hers, returning her stare without hesitation—though he seemed much more amused by the situation than she was. “Then why are you breathing so quickly? Scared, maybe?”

“I came to get Serah back,” she said, gritting her teeth. “You’re gonna give her back.”

“I don’t have your friend anymore. Sorry I get paid to shoot guns and not meddle, honey.”

At the term of endearment, she had to inhale sharply, loosening her fist before the idea of punching him in the gut could cross her mind. It was laughable, really, how she was trying to be menacing, and they both knew it. He could easily overpower her with his bigger frame and the two shotguns strapped to his back (along with yet another pair of pistols strapped to his belt), and she was unarmed. She’d let him take her gun like a schoolgirl who knew it was too dangerous for her and needed to be protected, and she hated how her judgement had left her so quickly when he appeared behind her.

“Then tell me where she is. Listen, hotshot, you shouldn’t even be involved in this in the first place if it wasn’t for the Cavalry’s money, right? You’ve done your job. You’re done.”

“I’m not so sure of that,” he said, then lazily threw her gun to the ground a few feet behind him. His gaze was still locked onto hers as he took his own pistol out of its holster, the distinct sound of him cocking his gun clear in her ears.

Then, much louder, came the sounds of the door being kicked open, and the Black Kite grabbed her as he turned, pressing her back flat against his chest with a firm hand just under her bust. The other, he used to aim at Snow and Gadot, who pointed all three of their guns back at him. Gadot had two, always the biggest firepower out of them—and Snow, he kept the opportunity to use his fists as much as he could, which made having one free hand a necessity.

Lebreau shared a look with them, quickly sweeping her gaze over where her gun was lying on the ground before moving back to them. They barely blinked in response, not taking their eyes away from the Black Kite too long, but she knew they’d understood; they always did. All they needed now was a window of opportunity to act, and he was about to give it to them himself.

“I’ll save you for last,” he whispered in her ear, the smirk still evident in his voice.

“You won’t get the chance.”

Punctuating her sentence, she drove her elbow into his gut as hard as she could and used the second of distraction to slip from his grip and roll away to her gun. Shots began firing as she did, and she was quick to aim and shoot at him, one knee still to the floor, the second it was in her hand. But, again, he was proving out of their league, easily dodging their bullets as they had to duck for cover wherever they could. Too soon, he was backing away and out the door, and they lost him in the darkness of the night.

Lebreau swore as she stood back up.

“You okay?” Gadot asked, frowning when she brushed away his hand as he tried to help her up.

“I’m fine.”

She walked to Snow, shrugging her shoulders lightly as she fished out Serah’s handkerchief and slapped it to his chest. She wasn’t sure why she was so angry with herself, and somehow understood her friends’ confusion because of it; but she was ashamed to have let him play with her so easily. “He didn’t have her anymore. Led me into a dead end on purpose.”

“Oh,” was all Snow could reply, too focused on this little piece of Serah to be tactical.

Gadot rubbed the back of his neck, observing them for a moment before speaking up. “What did he say to you before you hit him?”

“Nothing,” she replied curtly as she walked out, heading straight for her horse.


	2. Chapter 2

Lebreau rode a reasonable distance ahead of Gadot and Snow, and they didn’t risk trying to be by her side when she was a bad mood—even if they had no idea why she was in the first place. She was reacting even more strongly about the whole thing than even Snow himself, it seemed; the two of them assumed it was because she was better friends with Serah than they thought, and couldn’t possibly imagine that the real reason was simply because of the Black Kite and her pride.

As they made their way back, night gave in to dawn, and soon the sun shone high in the sky, down on them. But, when they neared their camp, the air became thick with smoke. Worried, Lebreau looked back to Snow and Gadot, who shared her expression, and it was all they needed to urge on their horses, speeding towards it.

Everything had been burned down.

Petrified, Lebreau froze for a moment, then quickly hopped down her horse, calling Yuj and Maqui’s names in a strangled voice. For the few seconds where her calls were met with silence, she was completely terrified, but the two of them rose from behind a stack of charred boxes, dirt on their cheeks and fingers tight around their guns.

“You’re safe,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief as she made her way closer to them and pulled them into her arms.

Maqui threw an arm up, smiling brightly. “We held down the fort!”

“That’s what you call holding it down,” Gadot said sarcastically, arching an eyebrow as his comment brought guilty looks onto their faces. “What the hell happened here?”

“It was the Black Kite again—with a bunch of Cavalry guys. We were outnumbered, and we did our best, but...it didn’t work.” Yuj rubbed his arm, flinching when he touched a small burn. “But we managed to get a few of their weapons, and they left this.”

Yuj fished a crumpled map from the pocket inside his vest and handed it to Snow solemnly, watching as he unfolded it. Their leader’s expression quickly turned into a frown as he took in the mark that had been made some miles east of where they had just found themselves the night before, along with a brief note.

“They say we can have Serah back if we go there and join forces with the Cavalry. All five of us.”

Lebreau frowned as well, looking back to Yuj and Maqui. “Did the Black Kite say why they had to burn down everything we had and almost kill the two of you?”

“Uh...no. I wonder if he even speaks,” Maqui said.

She huffed, then walked over to the box where they had gathered all of the enemy’s weapons. “Oh, he does,” she said as she picked up the only rifle, walking to her horse with a determined look on her face.

“Where are you going?” Yuj asked.

“To have a word with the Black Kite.”

“What about the Cavalry?”

“They can have me if they let me have him first.”

It was under the confused stares of her friends that she mounted her horse again, the bridle tight between her fingers as she turned to look at the four of them. She looked at Snow and Gadot, remembering the question he’d asked just before they had left the stable. “‘I’ll save you for last’. That’s what he said to me.”

Understanding dawned on Gadot’s face, but it didn’t serve as much of an explanation to the others; Snow had a tendency to be somewhat clueless when it came to her temper, and Maqui and Yuj knew nothing of the situation from the night before. Gadot, however, understood her better than anyone.

“I’ll meet you guys over there.”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Snow said, hitting the palm of his hand with his fist. “Serah needs her hero!”

Gadot patted Snow’s shoulder as Lebreau galloped away.

* * *

They’d waited a while—enough for a small nap—before taking off after Lebreau. The sun was setting, and Maqui and Yuj were bickering a few feet ahead of Snow and Gadot, shoving at each other as if trying to throw the other off his horse. Without Lebreau, there was no one to reprimand them and tell them to stop before one of them could break their neck.

“I don’t understand why she’s so intent on going after the Black Kite,” Snow said, pulling himself out of his thoughts with a frown. “She seemed so mad earlier...sometimes I don’t get her.”

“Yeah, you don’t. Hell, if you understood her even half as much as she understands you—” Gadot shook his head, wiping the sweat off his brow before readjusting his hat as he looked to the side at Snow. “Y’know, man...you’ve got Serah. And she means everything to you, so you wanna keep her safe, right? And you don’t like that she’s being put in danger like this, right? Well, Lebreau doesn’t feel like that about her. We’re her Serah. That guy, he could’a killed Yuj and Maq, and he helped destroy everything we had—just that’s enough to make her wanna crazy murder him. Like a momma bear who’s just trying to defend her cubs.

“But she’s got someone else to protect that she won’t let anyone do, and that’s herself. She’s prouder than you an’ me combined, yeah? He must’ve bruised her ego pretty hard in there. So she’s mad at him and herself. And she wants to prove—again, to him and herself, that she won’t let anyone step on her, and that she’s strong enough. So you do the math, Boss. Sum up how angry she is.”

Snow seemed stunned. Before he could say anything, Gadot urged his horse to go join Yuj and Maqui, smiling back at their leader. “Don’t worry about her, man. Just focus on bein’ Serah’s hero before Lebreau does it and steals your thunder.”

* * *

It was just a bit after nightfall when Lebreau came close to the Black Kite’s camp, a few miles from the area that had been marked on the map—and it was exactly what she wanted. He was sitting by a fire, never noticing her stepping out of the shadows until she shot at his feet.

“Get up!”

Though the sound of the rifle going off had made him jump, he looked as calm as ever as he stood, and she didn’t miss the way the flames danced over yet another one of his smirks. This only had her grit her teeth harder, and she jolted her weapon in his direction when he made to reach for one of his own guns.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said menacingly, cocking the rifle and making sure to be quiet as she did, just so he could hear her intentions clearly.

He chuckled, raising both hands in a peaceful gesture, though his eyes spoke little of peace. This was still a game to him. And it infuriated her even more. “Alright, you’re spunky—I like that. What do you want from me, sweetheart?”

Instead of answering, she shot at his feet again. What _did_ she want? To kill him, just like that? Point that rifle right at his heart and shoot while she had the chance? “I’m not patient enough to save you for last. But I am patient enough to make you dance.”

She fired several more shots at his feet, quickly losing count: it had been much too long since she had last slept, and she was quickly growing more tense, and less alert. It was only when the rifle ran out of bullets that she threw it to the floor, taking her own gun and pointing it at him as she started to walk towards him. He didn’t have his shotguns strapped to his back, but just like her, he seemed to always keep at least one pistol on him.

“Give me your gun,” she said, cocking her own. “If I see you so much as graze the trigger, you’re dead.”

He was still smirking even as she held out her free hand, though she was too busy making sure that he wasn’t going to shoot to notice it. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were robbing me. Can’t say I mind, pretty little face like that.”

Before she could respond, he had put the gun in her hand, but quickly grabbed her wrist and tugged her towards him, so that she stumbled and their faces were only inches apart. “Listen to me, darlin’. I don’t understand what you’re trying to do right now, except scare me—looks like even you don’t know what you’re doing. But you’re wasting your time. I’ve known women like you, and I know you won’t kill me; won’t be able to bring yourself to.”

“You have no idea what I’m capable of. You don’t know me,” she spat out, pulling her arm from his grip before stepping back and throwing his gun to the ground, just like he had hers the night before.

“Oh, but I do. You remind me of the dog I had when I was a kid—kept chasin’ his tail around all day. So stop running in circles and just do what you’re supposed to so I can get my damn money. All Raines wants is for all of you run to little pinkie’s rescue, and they’ll give you a deal. Hurting her would never even cross their minds, but they want to make you believe that there’s a danger. So she’ll come at a price—the five of you for her freedom. Whatever they’re planning, they seem to need that one pawn that won’t give its allegiance to anyone. Damn shame, too, since I see nothing at all in the lot of you.”

She frowned. “What?”

“Are you completely oblivious?” he asked disbelievingly, throwing his arms up. “This isn’t a game, sweetie. This is war. You’re in the middle of something that’s so much bigger than you could ever imagine, and apparently they need you for it. Beats me why.”

“Lebreau?”

At the sound of her name, Lebreau turned and aimed at the source of the voice, only to lower her gun and uncock it. “Serah. You’re—”

“I escaped,” she said with a small smile, though her voice was trembling slightly—probably from exhaustion. If she had come from where the rest of them had been supposed to go, she must have been walking for hours. Most of her dress’ skirt had been torn away, and there was dirt on her cheeks; her chest was heaving, especially because of the corset she was wearing. “I’m...tired. And it’s hot.”

“Serah!”

Again, Lebreau turned around to face Yuj, Maqui, and Gadot. Snow, however, was nowhere to be seen. It was the first thing Serah noticed. “Where’s Snow?”

She barely had time to finish her sentence before she brought a hand to her forehead, swaying slightly, and then dropped to the ground, unconscious. No one moved, except from the Black Kite, who looked at them with a surprised expression as he moved towards Serah.

“Why aren’t you helping her?”

“It happens a lot,” Lebreau said with a shrug.

Yuj piped in with a solemn look. “I shouldn’t have made her wear that corset, I knew it was too tight.”

“She’ll wake up the second we move her!” Maqui added.

“Better let it be Snow, he’ll love the knight in shining armour moment,” Gadot said with a nod, crossing his arms.

The Black Kite looked alarmed—and quite disbelieving as he moved to lift Serah up. “You guys are terrible people! You okay, kiddo?”

Serah’s eyes fluttered to look up at him, only to frown when she realized she was in the arms of the man who had kidnapped her in the first place. She wiggled, slapping him as hard as she could in her current state so that he would let go of her.

“We warned you,” Lebreau said, sounding blasé. Though she couldn’t help but chuckle when she noticed that one of her nails had scratched his cheek enough to draw blood. Her amusement didn’t last long when he used the distraction to reach for his gun, and she pointed her own at him as she moved back towards him, close enough to be menacing. But it didn’t faze him; he simply picked the pistol up and put it back into its holster.

“I can’t let any of you get away now, I hope you understand. All’s fair in love and war.”

Lebreau was about to reply when the sound of a gunshot ripped through the air, everyone ducking at the sound of it—though the Black Kite’s groan and the way he gripped his arm, blood trickling through his fingers, was enough to know it had been aimed at him. He swore, his eyes briefly meeting Lebreau’s, and this time she did see fear in them. When another shot went off, her first instinct was to stomp on what was left of his campfire to put it out, running to her horse.

“They’re shooting at him,” she said to her friends as she mounted it. Gadot quickly did the same and lifted Serah with him. “It’s better that we split. You guys go meet up with Snow, and keep Serah safe; I’ll run into the opposite direction.”

“Where do we meet up?”

“Where the river starts at the bottom of the valley. We’ll have to circle around, so you guys set up camp and wait for me,” she said, quickly making her way to the Black Kite and helping him onto his horse. The enemy, whoever it was, shot again, but in the dark, their aim was more confused, and it missed completely. “You, shut up and follow me.”

The Black Kite nodded, clutching his arm with one hand and holding the reins as tightly as he could with the other as they took off.


	3. Chapter 3

“Let’s rest here; I need to have a look at your arm. Keep a good pressure on it,” Lebreau said as they reached a small stream, the water trickling slowly. It was far enough from the camp he’d set up for her to be certain they hadn’t been followed, and she gathered all she could on foot that was close and good enough to make a fire. It wouldn’t last long, but it was enough to let her see what she was doing, and to sear the wound shut if she had to pull out the bullet.

Once it had caught, she sat down next to him with a small purse that she kept attached to her horse’s saddle in case of emergencies, just like, in his case, the shotguns. He still hadn’t let go of his arm yet, and simply stared at her expectantly, another smirk playing at his lips, however small.

“I need you to take off your coat and shirt so I can look at your arm,” she said, not looking at him as she sorted out her things.

“I knew you’d be trying to get me naked eventually,” he drawled in return, though his amusement faded slightly when she glared at him. He cleared his throat, deciding to push his luck. “Can’t take clothes off with one arm, can I? You’re gonna have to help, sweet nurse.”

“Call me that one more time and I’m making it my personal duty to let you bleed to death.”

He only chuckled in response, docile as she stood up and knelt behind him to help him take off his coat, then his shirt. When she sat back down next to him, he watched her gingerly take his arm and observe the wound.

“You’re lucky, it just grazed you. And I was looking forward to driving a knife into your arm to pull a bullet out,” she said with a shake of her head, looking genuinely disappointed.

“That’s sweet of you.”

She briefly looked up at him, eyebrow raised, before wetting a clean rag into the stream. She cleaned around the wound carefully, her grip firm on his arm when his sharp intakes of breath made him move, trying to jerk away. The bleeding had slowed down and the cut wasn’t too deep, which relieved her: all she had to do was make sure it wouldn’t get infected. Once it was properly cleaned, she pulled out a flask from the purse, took a swig, and then poured it over the cut before handing it to the Black Kite.

“Whiskey. Don’t drink it all.”

When he thanked her and drank, she returned her attention to the wound, wrapping bandages over it as she fought to stay awake. As she tied the ends tightly—only partly to induce a bit of pain—she stifled a yawn, which he noticed.

“You should sleep.”

She looked disbelieving as she took the flask back from him and put away her things, tying the purse back onto her horse’s saddle. “Why should you care?”

“Well, sweetheart, you see, I’m a man of honour. Might not look it, but I am. Maybe you saved my life back there. Then, you took care of my arm, and even offered me some booze—it’s all I can ask for.” He shrugged, gingerly putting his shirt back on, and watched her take the saddle blanket off her horse’s back to lay it on the ground. “All that when you looked just about ready to shoot me in the face half an hour ago.”

“Right. And you won’t shoot me in my sleep or anything.”

“Nah, you’re too pretty for that—and I got no reason to now, ain’t I?”

“I guess not,” Lebreau agreed half-heartedly as she sat down on the blanket. “Tell me again why you were being shot at?”

“I blabbed. The Cavalry were probably told that I can’t be trusted, so I s’pose they had someone spying on me to make sure I didn’t. But I did. Big organizations like that, they don’t want their plans revealed to whoever’s concerned. Hurts their pride.”

She kept her eyes on him for a moment, trying to study his expression, but all he did was stare at her small fire burning away. “Why did you tell me what they were planning?”

“I wonder,” he said, shrugging, then looked at her with a small smirk. “Maybe pretty girls are my one and only weakness.”

With a scoff, she lay down, rolling over on her side to curl up with her back facing him. “Please stop that. Don’t even try.”

“But it worked, don’t it?” he asked, and again, she could hear the smirk in his voice. It was hard to resist sitting back up and trying to wipe it off his face herself. “You let me take your gun.”

“What was I supposed to do, resist? You had two pistols and two shotguns. I can take risks, but I don’t run straight into situations that’ll kill me.”

He chuckled. “Oh, I’m not sayin’ you could’ve taken me on, sweetheart. I’m saying you’re the kind of girl who’s silly enough to think she can take me on. So, really, imagine my surprise when you acted like a blushing virgin who’s never been touched like that by a man.”

This time, she didn’t answer, gritting her teeth as she tried to make it seem like she was asleep. But the both of them knew she was only pretending so that she wouldn’t start a fight that neither had any interest in winning at this point—and he looked away instead, smiling to himself as he raised his gaze up towards the star-dotted sky. When her breathing did slow down, her back raising and falling steadily, he stood as quietly as he could and took off his coat, stifling a groan when pain shot through his wounded arm.

He was careful as he put the coat down over her, then moved away to take the saddle blanket from his own horse’s back, not before making sure his shotgun holsters were properly strapped to the saddle. Patting the horse’s crest, he whispered a few words, and put down the blanket on the ground before lying down on it. He glanced to the side at Lebreau’s sleeping form, not having moved an inch, then looked back up at the sky.

“Sweet dreams, beautiful.”

* * *

When Lebreau awoke, it was with the coat pulled up to her chin, the smell of the Black Kite’s cologne faint in the fabric. In the haze of sleep, it made her frown for a second, and she sat up quickly, kicking it off her body with a stubborn look on her face. She left it on her saddle blanket, walking over to the stream to splash her face and drink some water, rubbing her arms to try and wash off some of the grime from the past few days. At this point, she wanted nothing more than to clean up, and it was hard to fight the temptation; she looked back to the Black Kite, who was still sleeping deeply, his face buried in the crook of his elbow.

It was now or never. She took off her clothes quickly and left them in a messy pile by the stream, making her way in with a small gasp. The water was chilly, but refreshing, and she was quick to crouch down to wash herself, getting out of the water as soon as she was done. Once she was standing by her clothes with her arms wrapped around herself, it was then that she realized she should have through it through beforehand.

“Damn it,” she whispered to herself, looking around as if trying to find a solution. All she needed now was for the Black Kite to wake back up, but he hadn’t moved an inch since she had last looked, which was rather reassuring. She noticed a rock a few metres away that was bathed in the sun, and quickly made her way over with her clothes, just in case she had to cover herself up, lying down and closing her eyes. The sun was warm, and it helped her dry off rather quickly, enough to be able to dress back up before he woke up—or so she thought.

She just hadn’t noticed that he’d opened his eyes and looked over at her just as she was putting her shirt back on.

“Well, I always thought you were pretty fit, now I know for sure,” he said teasingly when she made her way back. “Get a lot of boys courting ya?”

She rolled her eyes and balled up his coat, throwing it at his face with a sigh. “That’s none of your business. And you’re a child for looking.”

“Right, like I didn’t catch you peepin’ when you were taking care of my arm last night. All I did was make things even, darlin’,” he said with a smirk, chuckling to himself as he quirked a playful eyebrow at her. He watched her move around their makeshift camp, gathering her things and placing the saddle blanket back onto her horse.

“Are you gonna keep watching until I leave by myself, or are you moving along too?”

He sighed, standing up with a stretch. “Fine, I’m comin’...do I get to take a swim too?”

“Whatever you like, just don’t take too long,” she said with a shrug, rubbing her forehead, and waved at him dismissively.

“Heh, never been bossed around by a woman before.” His tone was laced with amusement as he made his way over to the horses and started to take his shirt off, keeping his eyes on her all the while. “Really are a spunky one.”

“Maybe that’s why you’re such a lost cause.”

She only let her gaze flicker back up at him to throw in an unimpressed look, but her eyes caught the bandage on his arm, stained with red where the cut was. Watching it closely, she gripped his other arm to stop him, then looked back to his face.

“Go sit back down.”

“Well, do want me to move along, or be still? You’re confusing me now, little lady.”

“Stop with the stupid pet names and go sit down,” she ordered, taking the purse from her saddle and bringing it over to where he sat down, despite the protest. “My name’s Lebreau.”

“Knowing your name ain’t gonna stop me from calling you whatever I want.”

She shook her head, but answered nothing this time, focusing on cutting up the bandages to check the wound. The bleeding didn’t seem to be recent, but she cleaned it up nonetheless just like she had the night before, wrapping it back up as tightly as she had the first time, though she did avoid squeezing it just to annoy him, this time. She also took the opportunity to clean up the small scratch on his cheek courtesy of Serah, which she hadn’t had the energy to take care of the night before—it was already almost completely healed.

“Not asking what my name is?” he asked as she was finishing up.

“I don’t really care to know. Already got something to call you by. Can you be ready quickly? I’m hungry and the next town is probably about half an hour away.”

Still without protest, he stood back up and made his way over to the stream as she went back to her horse, getting ready to leave.

“It’s Rygdea, by the way,” he said as he brushed past her.

She was taken aback when he said his name, surprised by his transparency; she thought him to be the kind who enjoyed the mystery, and would never care enough to give his real name to a woman who did little more than bicker with him after they had shot at each other several times. It wasn’t often she was so thrown off by someone’s words that she didn’t know what to answer, but she didn’t want to stay completely silent, as if she thought it would make him win something.

She called out after him instead, using the same motherly tone that she did around Maqui when he was being...well, turbulent. “Don’t get the bandages wet!”

“I’ll try, mother,” she heard his voice say in the distance, followed by a disbelieving, but not completely honest laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

The nearest town, as Lebreau had thought, was little more than half an hour away, though by the time they had gotten there, her stomach was rumbling loud enough for Rygdea to hear. He chuckled quietly, looking over to the side at her but saying nothing, instead leading her to a saloon and hopping off his horse to tie the bridle to the hitching post.

“This place does the free lunch thing. Hope you’re used to drinking in the morning.”

“You mean buying a drink and getting a free meal out of it? Classy,” she said in a sarcastic voice, tying her horse to the hitching post as well before brushing past him, inside the saloon. Most heads turned towards her almost instantly, the men staring at her legs, but she paid no mind to it as she headed straight for the bar. It was a rough breakfast they had; warm beer, an oyster stew and mashed potatoes, but it was enough to fill the both of them up, bringing a chuckle out of him when she finished clearing her plate and drink before him.

“Never seen someone your size eat like a lumberjack, I gotta say” he commented, looking over to her as they sat side by side at the bar.

“Well, I don’t know if you noticed, but I spent the best of the last two and a half days riding and looking for you. Didn’t have much time to eat and sleep. And now, I’m sitting here.”

“With me.”

“Yeah.”

“While your friends are waiting for you at the bottom of the valley with little pinkie.”

“Yeah.”

He gave a few small nods, rubbing his stubble thoughtfully. “How long do you think it’ll take you to get back to them?”

“If I’d gone directly there from where we left, like they did, it would’ve taken no more than a night of riding; but since I had to take you in the opposite direction, and we need to avoid the Cavalry, it could take a few days. And, since we didn’t bring provisions, we need to ride close enough to towns, so...little less than a week, I’d say. Why?”

“No reason, really,” he shrugged. “I’m impressed you know all that without even lookin’ at a map, honest.”

“We’ve been patrolling the area for over three years now. The Cavalry can pretend it’s their turf all they want, but we know this place like the back of our hand. It’s what you get when you’re free,” she said, trying a small smile as she stood when he was finished.

He followed a few steps behind her to the exit, and she was about to walk into the street when he noticed two men in a familiar uniform and pistols strapped to their hips, with the look on their faces of people who were searching for someone. In a quick move, he grabbed her arm and pushed her to the nearest wall, stepping as close to her as he could with a finger over his lips. When the men looked their way, he moved his hands down to her waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck. His breath was warm against her skin, his stubble scratchy, and it was after a moment of hesitation that she rested her hands on his arms, tilting her head the other way to hide her face as well.

“Cavalry guys,” he whispered to her, and she waited until they were far away enough to push him away, heading for her horse without a look back at him.

“We could’ve just gone back inside.”

“Sue me, it was the first thing I thought of. At least I didn’t kiss ya—took a lot of self-control, I’ll say.”

“Oh, thank you so much,” she said sarcastically, sighing in frustration as she mounted her horse, setting off without waiting for him.

“Look at that, girlie, we found someone with even more of a temper than you when we met,” he said to his horse as he mounted as well, and she blew in return, almost in agreement. “Yeah, I like her spunk too.”

All Lebreau heard was his call of “Wait for me, Freckles!” as he tried to catch up with her.

* * *

They spent all of the next few days together, with no other choice but to stick to each other, and Lebreau considered it a miracle that she hadn’t shot him yet. Though Rygdea had noticed her growing slightly less hot-tempered (despite her unflinching sarcasm and comebacks), there was still something about him that grated her to no end, and she thought she was only becoming snappier at him.

Still, when the defences came down—usually when she was facing away from him in the dark and he stared at the stars—it became easier to talk, never in too much detail, but of stories that eased the loneliness. He tried to teach her a hawk whistle, to no avail, and told her about the dog he had compared her to a few nights before; she talked about how Snow and Serah had come to meet, and her favourite guns. More than once, they had made each other laugh, but still agreed that they would separate once they would be less than a day’s riding away from where Lebreau was certain her friends had set up camp to wait for her. It was far away enough for him to disappear into the smoke, away from the Cavalry, and close enough so that she didn’t risk running into trouble while being severely overpowered on her own.

But planning in advance had always been more or less useless in her life.

* * *

It was on the outskirts of a small town that they ran into a Cavalry unit dispatched solely for the purpose of catching the two of them. Together, they had quite the value to them—him for having given them so much trouble when he was supposed to be under Raines’s command, her because she was just like Serah had been at first: bait to draw Snow and the others into saving her. Now that they’d lost track of NORA, they were determined to get them on their side, and this time, if they had to, they would harm Lebreau.

When the first gunshots came, Lebreau dove right behind a tall rock—tall enough for them to stand without being too much in the open—and pulled him with her, leaving their horses behind. Each took a side and shot at the pack of Cavalry men before them, taking down as many of them as they could, though they were greatly outnumbered.

“Damn it, we’re trapped like rabbits,” she muttered, reloading her gun. “And I’m almost out too.”

“I know. So am I.”

Rygdea tilted his head back to rest against the rock with a sigh, his eyes flickering up to the sky. The clouds hung low and dark, and the birds had grown quiet, flying only a few feet above their heads. He whistled when he noticed a hawk circling above him, but received no answer.

“Lebreau, stop shooting,” he said quietly so that their opponents wouldn’t hear, and tugged on her arm when she glanced at him with a frown that clearly indicated she thought he was starting to go crazy. “It should start raining in no more than two minutes—and hard. They’re using black powder cartridges that get ruined by rain really easily, and their visibility’s about to go down considerably. We need to save our ammo to take them by surprise.”

The look in her eyes was more than skeptical. “What do you suggest?”

“I’ll run out to the left and distract them while you run to the right. You take as many of them down as you can by the time they realize we’re both in the open and head straight for your horse, alright? Take off and don’t look back, not until you’ve reached your friends. And I’ll go in the opposite direction and hide. At worse, they’ll follow me, but I can manage.”

“That sounds insane. Are you even gonna be able to find me after that?”

He smirked. “’fraid not, doll. Once I’m gone, I’m gone.”

“Right,” she said, taking a deep breath. There was no reason to be stubborn and question him; his idea was their best hope of getting away safely before their ammunition ran out. She nodded at him, gripping her gun tight as she started to turn away from him to be ready to run, but he grabbed her by the waist and tugged her back against him, kissing her firmly.

Her hand went to the back of his neck as she started to kiss back, the rain starting to fall down on them almost as if on cue. She could hear the Cavalry shooters’ surprise at the sudden precipitations, but from a distance, almost as if her head was underwater. The only thing she was truly aware of was Rygdea holding her close, kissing her breathless, and the way he gently pushed aside a wet strand of hair that had stuck to the side of her face under the rain. When he pulled away, it was only to look in her eyes for a moment before tipping her chin up for another kiss, much gentler this time. She truly was breathless when he let go of her, almost reluctantly, at the sound of bullets hitting the rock.

He winked at her as she staggered back slightly, taking his second pistol from its holster and cocking them both. “Count to three once I start shooting, then run. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said quietly, nodding. She leaned against the rock, their backs turned to each other, and held her gun tightly, trying to shake herself out of the haze she was in.

“Be safe, beautiful.”

She didn’t have time to reply before he ran out from behind the rock, starting to count to three as soon as he started to shoot.

And then she ran.

* * *

By the time she reached her friends’ camp—which she knew she had when she noticed the fire burning brightly and heard Snow’s roaring laugh—she could barely sit straight, shaking from the chill her wet clothes had brought all the way to her bone. It was Serah who noticed her first.

“Lebreau!”

She ran in her direction and hugged Lebreau tightly as soon as she had gotten down from her horse, but all she could do was weakly raise her arms and pat her back, a tired smile on her face. The boys raced towards her as well, and though none of them were used to physical contact—Lebreau included—they joined the hug, relieved to have her back with them.

“Okay, guys, give her some air,” Gadot said, waving everyone away though he and Snow stayed at her side. Their leader wrapped his coat tight around her shoulders, and she thanked him quietly. “Where’s the Black Kite run off to?”

“I’d just like to lie down and sleep for now, if that’s okay.”

While riding alone, the only thing on her mind had been the worry of not knowing whether Rygdea had made it out alright, and still now, she could barely think of anything else. It made her angry, how quickly she’d come to care for him when he was so bothersome and arrogant, but it didn’t change the fact that she did care, and that when she wasn’t worrying about his safety, she was thinking of the way he had kissed her.

She was screwed.

* * *

One whole season had passed since the run-in with the Cavalry, and since then, they had relocated completely, making sure to keep away from them and their enemies. They’d never found them again, and Snow was intent on never letting history repeat itself. Instead of thinking of ways to avoid Raines and his men, now, they could focus on preparing for Snow and Serah’s wedding, which was coming towards them with large strides.

While Yuj was helping Serah with her wedding dress, Lebreau was cooking dinner, watching with a smile. Maqui, sat a few metres from her, had his back turned to both Serah and Snow, refusing to let either of them even steal a glance as he was working on their wedding rings, sweat pearling at his forehead from the heat. She was about to ask him if the work was coming along well, but stopped dead when she heard the sound of a hawk whistle, hesitating at first. She was probably imagining it—

But then she heard it again, and noticed a shadow moving in the direction of where the sound had come from. With a vague request at Gadot to watch her stew, she walked away, and towards the mountains. There was a small cave, squeezed between two walls of rock, where they kept some supplies away from the occasional rainstorm, and she was pulled inside it before she could react.

“Didn’t think you’d come check, Freckles.”

She smiled, shaking her head just before he pulled her in for a kiss.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [True Grit, Girlie: The Secret Ending](https://archiveofourown.org/works/677853) by [snewvilliurs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snewvilliurs/pseuds/snewvilliurs)




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